Letter: Cities need to embrace walkers

A walkable city is a city where a car is an optional instrument of freedom and not a prosthetic device. Walking and bicycling are healthy, practical modes of transportation, and mean independence for both young and old.

If we are not seeing people walking and bicycling around our downtown, it is a matter of design. Pedestrians appear in streetscapes with wide, tree-lined sidewalks, narrow streets, buffered bike lanes, and frequent pedestrian crossing signals.

In order for people to choose to walk, they need a reason to walk. The walk must feel safe, comfortable, and be interesting. With these conditions met, people will choose to walk to destinations within a half mile and bicycle to destinations within two miles. If these conditions are not met, people will simply drive, adding more cars.

Wider, faster streets worsen traffic by discouraging walking and bicycling. If we design our city streets for people, people will appear. If we design our city streets for cars, cars will appear. Where people are, business thrives. When downtown thrives, a city thrives.